Patents Examined by Gevell Selby
  • Patent number: 9413978
    Abstract: A digital image capture system and method uses a display device to illuminate a target with light for improved image capture under poor lighting conditions. Various characteristics of the flash (e.g., brightness, color, duration, etc.) can be adjusted to improve image capture. Users are provided with feedback (e.g., live video feed, audio and/or visual countdowns, etc.) to assist them in preparing for image capture. The captured images are seamlessly integrated with existing applications (e.g., video conferencing, instant text messaging, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Ciudad, Alexandre Aybes, Peter Westen, Gregory N. Christie, Scott Forstall
  • Patent number: 9398217
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for video stabilization and/or for image frame generation. For example, a user may instruct a video application hosted on a smart phone to capture a video at a target resolution of 1080 pixels. A padded input having a padded resolution that is larger than the target resolution may be obtained from a capture device, such as a camera of the smart phone. The padded input may be provided to a video stabilization component to obtain a target image frame having the target resolution. In this way, the video stabilization component may perform cropping using padded margin pixels (e.g., additional pixels of the padded input beyond the 1080 pixels of the target resolution) so that image upscaling after cropping (e.g., to account for global warping, etc.) may be mitigated to reduce blur that may otherwise result from image upscaling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jinglin Shen, Naveen Thumpudi, Jeffrey D. Day, Yongjun Wu, Sandeep Kanumuri
  • Patent number: 9398175
    Abstract: Systems and methods of using the system for obtaining an image of a user and survey data from the user are disclosed. The system comprises a processor, a digital imaging device in communication with the processor, at least one input device in communication with the processor, at least one output device in communication with the processor, and software executing on the processor. The software prompts the user to enter an answer to at least one survey question through the input device, directs the digital imaging device to obtain at least one image of the user upon receiving the answer and outputs the at least one image to the output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Vanity IP LLC
    Inventor: Kenneth Carrion
  • Patent number: 9386234
    Abstract: An output rescale module may determine an estimated set of lines to hold in vertical support for use when performing image transformations. For example, an output rescale module may monitor input Y coordinates (in terms of input pixel lines) computed over previous lines and compute a set of lines to hold in a set of line buffers. As each output pixel line is generated, the output rescale module may compute the minimum and maximum values of Y generated by the transform across that line. The minimum and maximum input Y coordinates may then be averaged to determine the center value (the centermost input line) for that output line. The difference (in terms of input pixel lines) between centerlines for two adjacent output lines may be added to the centerline value for the current output line to estimate a center line for the next (not yet generated) output pixel line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher L. Mills, Simon W. Butler
  • Patent number: 9386196
    Abstract: A holding assembly for a picture taking device such as a smartphone or camera, which holding assembly may be hung from various surfaces to position the picture taking device at eye level, the holding assembly including variable length rigid support having first and second ends, which variable length rigid support may be readily locked in various positions of length adjustment, the one end of the variable length rigid support being provided with a griping surface which may act as a handle, a C-shaped hook which extends upwardly from the first end of the variable length rigid support, and a removable ball joint assembly carried by the second end of the variable length rigid support, which ball joint assembly may receive the picture taking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Inventor: Wayne G. Fromm
  • Patent number: 9380231
    Abstract: A correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit may include a sampling circuit and a switching circuit. The CDS circuit may perform a CDS operation on a reset component of an input signal and an image component of the input signal based on a ramp signal, and the CDS circuit may generate an output signal. The switching circuit may include an auto-zero switch that connects a first input terminal receiving the input signal to an output node in response to an auto-zero control signal during an auto-zero interval. The switching circuit may connect a first terminal of the auto-zero switch to a reference voltage in order to cutoff a leakage current flowing to the auto-zero switch in response to a first boosting control signal during a first comparison interval and a second comparison interval. The output signal may be provided at the output node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Han Yang, Sin-Hwan Lim, Kyoung-Min Koh, Jae-Cheol Yun, Kwang-Hyun Lee, Soon-Ik Cho
  • Patent number: 9380236
    Abstract: There is provided an image sensor including at least three pixel transfer control signal lines, on a per line basis, configured to control exposure start and end timings of a pixel in order for exposure timings of a plurality of the pixels constituting one line in a specific direction to have at least three patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yasutaka Kimura
  • Patent number: 9374526
    Abstract: A temporal filter in an image processing pipeline may insert a frame delay when filtering an image frame. A given pixel of a current image frame may be received and a filtered version of the given pixel may be generated, blending the given pixel and a corresponding pixel of a reference image frame to store as part of a filtered version of the current image frame. If a frame delay setting is enabled, the corresponding pixel of the reference image frame may be provided as output for subsequent image processing inserting a frame delay for the current image frame. During the frame delay programming instructions may be received and image processing pipeline components may be configured according to the programming instructions. If the frame delay setting is disabled, then the filtered version of the given pixel may be provided as output for subsequent image processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: D. Amnon Silverstein, Suk Hwan Lim
  • Patent number: 9374519
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an evaluation value generation unit configured to generate a focus evaluation value indicating a degree of focus of image data which is a target; an evaluation value stabilization unit configured to perform a stabilization process on the focus evaluation value generated by the evaluation value generation unit; and a display data generation unit configured to generate display data, in which focus information is added to the image data, using the focus evaluation value subjected to the stabilization process by the evaluation value stabilization unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi Wakazono
  • Patent number: 9354712
    Abstract: An intelligent device is configured to provide relevant information related to an image. The intelligent device includes a sensor module, an activation module, an image capture module, an image recognition module, and an information providing module. The sensor module includes a magnetometer and a gyroscope. The magnetometer detects a direction of a gesture relative to the intelligent device. The gyroscope detects at least one angular velocity of the gesture. The activation module determines the gesture according to the direction and the angular velocities, and generates an activating signal according to the gesture determined. The image capture module captures the image according to the activation signal. The image recognition module identifies the image to retrieve relevant information related to the image. The information providing module provides the relevant information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: INSTITUTE FOR INFORMATION INDUSTRY
    Inventors: Ching-Wen Lin, Cheng-Huan Chen, Wei-Ming Chiang
  • Patent number: 9350913
    Abstract: Various approaches provide for detecting and recognizing text to enable a user to perform various functions or tasks. For example, a user could point a camera at an object with text, in order to capture an image of that object. The camera can be integrated with a portable computing device that is capable of taking the image and processing the image (or providing the image for processing) to recognize, identify, and/or isolate the text in order to send the image of the object as well as recognized text to an application, function, or system, such as an electronic marketplace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: A9.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Wiggen Kraft, Kathy Wing Lam Ma, Xiaofan Lin, Arnab Sanat Kumar Dhua, Yu Lou
  • Patent number: 9345430
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: an unpolarized light-emitting portion configured to emit light having an unpolarized component; a polarized light-emitting portion configured to emit light having a predetermined polarized component via a first polarization filter; and an imaging element configured to image a subject, which is irradiated with light by one of the unpolarized light-emitting portion and the polarized light-emitting portion, through a second polarization filter, the first polarization filter and the second polarization filter having polarization directions in an orthogonal relationship to each other, the imaging element being further configured to image the subject irradiated with light by the unpolarized light-emitting portion and the subject irradiated with light by the polarized light-emitting portion in a time division manner and output an unpolarized light image and an orthogonal polarized light image that are obtained as a result of imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Nakamura, Shinichiro Gomi
  • Patent number: 9338419
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided that allows accurate white balance gains to be obtained by accurately estimating the illuminant colors of various objects in an image. The white balance gains are obtained based on values of white pixels that have been extracted from an input image and have colors included in an extraction range, and the white balance gains are obtained based on specular reflection components included in the input image, are mixed in accordance with a mix ratio. The mix ratio is determined in accordance with, for example, a degree of reliability of extraction of the white pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kotaro Kitajima
  • Patent number: 9338333
    Abstract: An image collector device comprising a sensor arranged on a circuit board, a lens, and a lens holder. The lens is mounted in the lens holder. A sensor space, in which the sensor is arranged, is formed between the lens and the circuit board. The image collector device further comprises a sealing device comprising a first end and a second end. A resilient circumferential wall portion extends between the ends. An end wall is arranged at the first end, an opening being formed in the end wall. An end wall portion surrounding the opening is flexible. The sealing device is arranged in the sensor space, the circumferential wall portion being arranged around the sensor and sealing the sensor space. The circumferential wall portion is compressed in a direction along said sensor space between the lens and the circuit board, and the opening in the end wall encloses the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Axis AB
    Inventors: Jens Pahlitzsch, Johan Bergsten, Niclas Möller Lewin
  • Patent number: 9332176
    Abstract: A display apparatus and a control method thereof include an image communication camera including an image sensor is installed to be movable up and down at an upper portion of the display apparatus, and protrudes from the display apparatus when in use; an image processor processing an image signal sensed by the image sensor; a display displaying the processed image signal; a sensor sensing the position of the image communication camera; a power supply supplying components of the display apparatus; and a controller controlling the power supply to supply electric power to the image communication camera if the image communication camera is moved up, and cut off the electric power to the image communication camera if the image communication camera is moved down. Thus, it is possible to determine whether the image communication camera and the microphone operate or not based on the position of the image communication camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young-ick Jang, Se-jun Kim, Chang-yong Kim
  • Patent number: 9332200
    Abstract: Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for full well capacity extension. For example, a storage capacitor included in the pixel readout architecture can enable multiple charge dumps from a pixel in the analog domain, extending the full well capacity of the pixel. Further, multiple reads can be integrated in the digital domain using a memory, for example DRAM, in communication with the pixel readout architecture. This also can effectively multiply a small pixel's full well capacity. In some examples, multiple reads in the digital domain can be used to reduce, eliminate, or compensate for kTC noise in the pixel readout architecture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Biay-Cheng Hseih, Jiafu Luo, Sergiu Radu Goma
  • Patent number: 9332187
    Abstract: A camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first Printed Circuit Board (PCB) configured to have an image sensor mounted thereon; a housing unit disposed over the first PCB; a holder module spaced apart from a bottom surface within the housing unit at a specific interval and configured to have first coils wound on its outer circumferential face and to include at least lens therein; a second PCB combined with the bottom surface of the holder module; a third PCB disposed over the holder module; a plurality of wire springs each configured to have one end connected to the second PCB and the other end connected to the third PCB; and buffer units provided at the connection units of the wire springs and the third PCB and configured to surround the connection units of the wire springs and the third PCB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sangyun Oh
  • Patent number: 9332189
    Abstract: A user attempting to obtain information about an object can capture image information including a view of that object, and the image information can be used with a matching or identification process to provide information about that type of object to the user. In order to narrow the search space to a specific category, and thus improve the accuracy of the results and the speed at which results can be obtained, the user can be guided to capture image information with an appropriate orientation. An outline or other graphical guide can be displayed over image information captured by a computing device, in order to guide the user in capturing the object from an appropriate direction and with an appropriate scale for the type of matching and/or information used for the matching. Such an approach enables three-dimensional objects to be analyzed using conventional two-dimensional identification algorithms, among other such processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Francislav Petrov Penov, Aaron Michael Donsbach, Geoffrey Scott Heller, Kenneth Mark Karakotsios, Daniel Bibireata, Kah Kuen Fu, Richard Howard Suplee, III, Timothy Youngjin Sohn
  • Patent number: 9325891
    Abstract: A camera apparatus includes a photogrammetric range sensor, small aperture lens and a processor configured to carry out a method for simulating a large aperture lens. The method includes capturing a photographic image data of a scene using the camera with the lens set to a small aperture size. Simultaneously or near-simultaneously with capturing the image, the camera captures photogrammetric range data pertaining to depth of objects in a field of view of the camera, using the range sensor. The processor then processes the photographic image data using the photogrammetric range data to obtain second photographic data simulating an image captured using a lens set to an aperture size larger than the small aperture size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Inventor: Gary Stephen Shuster
  • Patent number: 9319597
    Abstract: A camera for enhanced color imaging in a low light environment including: one or more illuminators for illuminating a R, a G, and a B light at different time periods; an image sensor for capturing R G and B image frames; and a processor configured to generate an intermediate color frame from each of the R, G and B image frames; determine moving pixels in the each of the intermediate color frames; determine a true color for the moving pixels in each intermediate color frame; generate a true color frame for each intermediate color frame by substituting color of the moving pixels with respective true colors of the moving pixels, in intermediate color frame; calculate scene color metrics from the true color frame or intermediate color frame; and adaptively adjust illumination of one or more of the R, G, and B lights to enhance a next frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: ARECONT VISION, LLC.
    Inventor: Sri Rama Prasanna Pavani